This is an artist's rendering of bike/pedestrian path to be built in the yet-to-be built University of Alabama Huntsville campus greenway. (Special to The Huntsville Times)

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- With the help of U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby, the University of Alabama in Huntsville is sprucing up part of its campus.

Shelby, R-Tuscaloosa, announced last week that the Federal Transit Administration will award a $1.646 million grant to UAH for construction of an interconnecting bike/pedestrian route between the new parking deck near Holmes Avenue and the interior core campus.

The path will be part of a planned greenway in the center of campus between Charger Village residence hall and the Shelby Center where Erskine Drive currently connects Holmes Avenue and Lakeside Drive. The Intermodal Parking Facility will be part of the eastern border to the path adjacent to Charger Village.

"It is critical that Alabama's universities have strong infrastructure in place to support students, faculty and community members as well as surrounding businesses," Shelby said in a statement. "The University of Alabama in Huntsville will use this grant to make improvements that are essential for efficient transportation on campus."

The bike/pedestrian path will include walkways for pedestrians, bicycle lanes, covered bicycle storage, extensive landscaping and green space as well as other pedestrian amenities.

The greenway was proposed by former UAH President Dr. David Williams in 2010 as part of a plan to give the school a more traditional campus.

According to UAH, construction is expected to begin late this year and be finished by the start of classes in the fall of 2012.

"This generous grant by Senator Shelby will improve the efficiency and safety of traffic on our campus," said Mike Finnegan, assistant vice president of facilities. "It will create more of a demand for pedestrian and bicycle traffic, thus adding to our transition to a more traditional campus setting.

"This infrastructure will also make the campus safer by separating vehicular traffic from pedestrian and bicycle traffic."